a good race

This evening after helping Eva change into her pj's, brush her teeth, and enjoy a bed time story I enjoyed a gigantic heart swelling hug and kiss from my little princess. Of all the cool trails I have ripped or races I have won none have been as fulfilling as these simple moments at home.

As you may have heard Mike Janelle passed away in his sleep on Thursday and left behind a wife who is 6 months pregnant with their 1st child. I am deeply saddened by the loss of Mike but even more so by the loss to his wife and child. I have known Mike for years and enjoyed his competitive and friendly spirit. Last month at 24 hours of moab we enjoyed the 2nd half of the 1st lap together and although we were competitors we enjoyed oneanother's company chatting about the past years activities, the race, and even our families. Coming into the finish we drag raced all the way down the last straight to be the 1st one in with Mike taking the advantage until he overshot the last corner and I slipped by to win the 1st lap, we chuckled about our duel later. I pray that his family and loved ones will be comforted, life is not fair but that's what makes it wonderful.

Upon our return from Costa Rica I continued to be disappointed about my la ruta experience until Rosie put me in my place saying "bike racing is a hard sport, you have been doing it long enough to know how to deal with disappointment, that's what makes racers special, they can deal with anything" Mike was a true racer and would only want us to "deal" with the disappointment of his passing by going for another ride, getting back out there for another event, or sharing our enthusiasm and passion.

thanks Mike for the good race

good night

salvage

So to salvage my costa rica trip I packed up and took a 3 hr cab ride north to lake Arenal. This place is windsurfing meca with gale force winds around the clock, I was happy not to have a bike with me. Dustin rips on the wind surfer. My knee is healing well and has improved significantly since the hematoma on my thigh has come down. We have been having a great time but in the back of my mind I continue to have some sadness,I came here to race and have good form yet am left without an outlet. I have been getting updates from the race and as bad as it sounds I would rather be sufering on the bike than just hanging out. This experience will surely strengthen my resolve on the bike and makes me better appreciate the cycling lifestyle.

After heading North we drove down to limon to pick up the crew after the finish. Everyone on the team rode and amazing race and was now ready for some vacation. We landed in a cool little beach town and hung out for a few days. The highlight might have been Dusty and I riding 100k to Panama and crossing the border for lunch, we made it out alive.
More later with some pics

my inner demons

So maybe the most dissapointing bike day of my life. Woke up this am and could still not bend my knee without pain around my lateral condyle from my IT band. I have dealt with this before and know that without proper care will only get worse and can become chronic so despite every amount of despire I have I pulled the plug on one of the coolest adventures I have ever experienced. The worst part is, I have good form, yesterday at the 5hr mark I was fresh and realing in the boys that tried to stay with the leader. My legs and body feel great.

It's been very dificult to purge yesterdays getting lost misadventure from my mind but I got over it and was ready to thrash the pedals but have no release. The next few days are going to be challenging for me. I don't think I can handle hanging around the race so I may take a cab north to lake Arenal where Rosie is hanging out. I will try to put a positive spin on it all.

Sorry for the poor news, I feel like I let a lot of people down. Ending on a positive note costa rica is amazing- croccidiles, monkeys, mountains, waterfalls!!
thanks- check sager site and monaviecannondale.com for more race details

La Ruta day 1

This may go down as one of the most memorable days on a bike for good and bad reasons. I won't go into the details of the race because nothing I write can express the insanity of this event. The good part was I paced myself well and had the power on one of the last 3000ft climbs to move into a solid 7th place overall before missing an unmarked turn about 10k from the finish. I lost a good 30 minutes and at least 12 places not to mention the air out of my sails. The real bummer is I bashed the side of my thigh negotiating the jungle and now have a serious flare of IT band syndrome which from previous experience takes more than overnight to fix but I am working every trick I know. Will see what tomorrow brings.

duster

check out my buddy dustin laying it down at his 1st cross race, yeeaaa!

timing

Rosie and Eva have been fighting a head cold all weak and now despite my regular Mona Vie regimen I have succumb to the virus. Perfect timing as the next week will likely be the most physically demanding week of the year with the state cyclocross championship tomorrow followed by travel to Costa Rica and then retracing the steps of the conquistadors via bike minus the pillaging. On top of that the 08 scalpel I am supposed to ride has not arrived yet, hopefully today. Anyway, that's how the cookie crumbles. On the bright side, I was worried the thick mud and endless climbs of La Ruta would not be challenging enough, I should get my coins worth now.

Monday

The weekend has come and gone and now it seems I am staring another one in the face. Heber cyclocross was a good time, although the course provided little in the way of technical stimulation. What would have been cool is if the course went right over the big fresh mound of dirt providing a natural run up with a sketchy ride down. This cross season has been a little frustration as I would like to make it to more big races and feel I could ride well at them but with teaching a Monday/Friday course at the U PT school and traveling/racing La Ruta it is just not practical or fare to the family. I guess that's the life of a hack bike racer, huh!


Yesterday I busted out the MTB for a pre La Ruta ride up into the high country. Unfortunately the new scalpel I will be riding won't be here until later this week so I won't have much time to dial it in. Attorney Jared joined me and we rode up Millcreek to the upper trails which were all frozen or snow packed except a few sun exposed muddy spots. We narrowly missed getting to the crest trail as the snow got to deep and well we got to cold. I even tried out a mini hydration pack, although it was more for practice than actually needing fluids, I hate those things but with the jungle heat I think it might be wise. I am also trying to figure out tire selection for La Ruta as it presents many types of terrain, any ideas?

This shot would make a great Reynolds ad!


photo by contender marc: ketchum, ID

For Sale

Before I ebay it here is some stuff I am clearing out:

-Mavic Aksium Race wheelest-brand new
-Easton EC90X full carbon cross fork- brand new
-Easton EC70 carbon wing road bar 44cm- light use
-Cannondale c3 road bar 44cm- brand new
-Control Tech anatomic raod bar 42 cm- brand new
-Dura ace front der. 34.9- light use
-Sram XO carbon rear dr-brand new
-Sram XO carbon shifters-brand new
-Selle San marco Ponza Lux saddle-brand new
-FSA chainrings 36t and 50t compact 110mm-brand new
-Magura marta brake pads- brand new set
-Shimano 105 11-25 cassette- brand new
-Dura ace 9spd front shifter/brake- brand new
-tektro 2nd cross levers
-cannondale M bib shorts black-brand new
-cannondale chrono M bib shorts black-brand new
-ibike pro power meter- near new

drop me line if you want anything
thats it for now, more to come